Emotional Attachments
by Patomac
Summary: Any excuse to kill off Lauren
1. Emotional Attachments

Disclaimer: I believe we all know I don't own Alias, although I'd be willing to buy it for. let's see here. (counts) one dollar and 52 cents. Any takers? I thought not. Rating: PG-13 because I like to kill people. Summary: We can't lose when we're killing off SWMNBNDNE Feedback: Please! I'm begging. Distribution: Just ask, I'll say yes. Plus, it make me really happy when it happened that one time. AND: This is posted at AA. There are some references to groups there like the IRF and our Denial group that are mentioned. Don't worry about it, I just had to put it in for laughs.  
  
Emotional Attachments  
  
"Goodbye sweetheart. I love you."  
  
"Mom! Wait!" Sydney raced down the hallway after her mother. As usual, she'd shown up at a most inopportune time, and Sydney was left with the consequences. The mission should have gone as planned, but now the booklet was missing and they had a dead NSC agent to go along with it.  
  
Sydney leapt down the stairwell, taking three stairs at a time. On the ground floor, Irina threw open the heavy metal door and sprinted into the parking garage. Sydney followed just seconds after, but she was too late. She watched as her mother drove away in the Silver SUV.  
  
"Great," she muttered to herself. "Just perfect." She sighed and resignedly trudged back up the stairs.  
  
When she got to the seventh floor, the scene that awaited her was not a happy one. Vaughn was there, bending over his wife on the floor. Blood from the bullet wound on her chest was all over the floor. Sydney guessed she had her mother to thank for that.  
  
Weiss was relaying the situation back to operations headquarters via his microphone. They were apparently having a tremendous argument about something. Knowing them, a small technical protocol issue that really didn't matter anymore. The target was missing and an enemy of the United States was still at large. Those were the simple facts.  
  
"What do you mean we should have locked the building down?" Weiss' voice came to Sydney's ears as she walked over to him. She was hearing just the one side of the conversation. She had turned her comm off long ago. "Listen, Lindsey, we're undermanned. There's absolutely no way to surround the facility with only the agents we have. We would have had to go in completely without back up, and you can be sure there'd be more than one agent injured."  
  
The argument continued, but Sydney hadn't the heart left to deal with Director Lindsey at this particular moment. Instead she knelt with Vaughn next to Lauren.  
  
"She dead." he said quietly. "Lauren's dead."  
  
Sydney didn't know what to say. She wanted to hold him, to make it all better. But this was one thing she couldn't do. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't fix his wife's death caused by her own mother. "I'm sorry."  
  
The paramedics arrived. Sydney could do nothing but just watch helplessly as Vaughn refused to leave his wife's side, even after she was pronounced dead officially by the examiner. In the end, he only backed off at threat of gunpoint.  
  
And there was nothing Sydney could do. 


	2. Airplane to Nowhere

Part 2: Airplane to Nowhere  
  
The ride back on the plane was eerily silent. Vaughn sat by himself in the corner, pushing off anyone's attempts to console him. Weiss was not being his usual comedian self, but simply staring out the window blankly.  
  
Sydney just sat in her seat and went over the operation mentally, trying desperately to find out what when wrong. Well, besides the blatantly obvious. If Irina Derevko hadn't shown up, the team could have just retrieved the book and gotten out. They would not have one member dead and a few others injured.  
  
Why is it that every time her mother showed up, something terrible happened? That seemed to be the question of the year for Sydney Bristow. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have been upset at all that Lauren Reed was dead. But of course she had to die now, after they had become friends. She couldn't say she didn't enjoy that punch she had given her to convince the NSC she had really been captured, but she had gotten that out of her system now. And for what? She had begun to trust the woman whom the world would think that impossible. She had taken a huge chance to help her, never mind that it was her fault she was captured in the first place.  
  
But it didn't matter now, she thought bitterly to herself. Was Vaughn ever going to be able to trust her again? Deep in her heart, Sydney knew that she wasn't responsible for her mother's actions, but that didn't make her feel any better. Irina Derevko had killed Bill Vaughn and Michael Vaughn was strong enough to not put that on Sydney's conscience any more than it already was. But could he be magnanimous enough to not resent Sydney just the tiniest bit for the death of his wife also?  
  
Another question of the year, one Sydney feared she would never know the answer to. They got off the plane silently at headquarters. The air between what was left of the team was thick with emotion and raw pain. Sydney couldn't see how they would sit through a debriefing in this state. She couldn't see them putting up with Lindsey's garbage like this.  
  
But they walked calmly down to the conference room anyway. They sat in their normal seats and pretended absolutely nothing was wrong, even though the world as they knew it was starting to crumble in around them.  
  
Lindsey entered a few minutes later. The scowl on his face was a definite predictor of everything he could say to further aggravate the situation. Almost immediately he pronounced the incompetence of the entire CIA and how this was a "terribly slip shot effort that will go on all of their records."  
  
No one fought him. Out of his ego, he assumed wrongly that they actually felt bad for their "failure as agents." Really, they were just too drained to care. Sydney recognized the fact that she should have stuck up for Weiss as joint-commander, and for Vaughn as being more than a little stunned when his wife was shot dead in the chest. She recognized it, but she decided to let it go.  
  
It would cause trouble later, but Sydney just didn't care.  
  
When she showed up for work the next day, it was sickeningly normal. The same analysts sat at their computers, picking at encoded text on the screens. Her father still sat stoically at his desk typing the DCI knows what. Lindsey was still annoying, and Agent Weiss still cracked the same bad jokes.  
  
There was only one thing missing.  
  
Vaughn was had, out of some inner sense of duty, still come to the office that day. He was at his desk shuffling through papers looking as if he hadn't slept, which, Sydney reminded herself, he probably hadn't.  
  
"There's a briefing in fifteen minutes," he said blankly when she sat down at her desk.  
  
"Really?" she replied, equally monotone, "I thought Lindsey was satisfied with the hell he gave us last night."  
  
"Apparently not," Vaughn rubbed his forehead in irritation.  
  
"Do you want some coffee?" Sydney asked gently. It was the best she could do him. He looked like he could use it.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks." Sydney nodded, more to herself than to him as he was focused intently on the transcripts in front of him. She shortly wondered if he really saw them or was just looking for a distraction. She stood up with a small smile.  
  
"Weiss, I'm worried about Vaughn," she stated after she crossed the room to wear Weiss was sipping his coffee tiredly.  
  
He nodded. "I know. He'll be okay. He's just in shock right now, Syd. He was like this when." he trailed off, realizing who he was talking to.  
  
"When? When I went missing?" She pressed.  
  
He looked down into his coffee. "Yeah. Only then he didn't have to write an after-action report detailing exactly how it was that you died." 


	3. Personnal Connections

Part 3: Personal Connections  
  
"Have you prepared your reports?" Lindsey's voice broke through the silence in the conference room. Agents Weiss, Vaughn, and Bristow nodded. "Good. After this type of failure, we have to do a certain amount of damage control. We need to make sure nothing else slips into enemy hands. Particularly the hands of Irina Derevko."  
  
Sydney resisted the urge to hit her head on the table. She knew what was next. Lindsey would be as vindictive as possible to make sure that every agent in this room knew how Jack and Sydney Bristow were related to the current number four on the CIA's most wanted list.  
  
"Derevko has apparently come back out of hiding. Her interference was responsible for Agent Reed's death and she escaped with the very thing we needed to obtain, a booklet with codes and locations for lockboxes throughout the world that should contain information on certain strongholds for enemies of the United States. Or So Mr. Sloane tells us."  
  
Vaughn was enduring this well, Sydney thought. Of course, she wasn't exactly sure he was breathing either. A myriad of younger agents sat behind Sydney at the tables. Without even turning her head, she could tell they were listening intently. It was typical, but it was also something she herself did when she joined the CIA or rather SD-6. Granted, most of the speech was for their benefit, and the older, more experienced agents knew all the background on Derevko and her organization. Sydney didn't listen, and she didn't care.  
  
What happened that left her this jaded? She used to be just like them, intending to be great, motivated, precise, and eager to prove herself. But that was all before her life was turned upside down. She was shocked to death when she learned that SD-6 wasn't really the CIA, so she did the right thing and became a double agent. That could, very possibly have been her downfall right there. Or it was just the first step on the slippery slope that was her life. And if that was bad, it was nothing compared to finding out that your mother was a) alive, b) spying on your father, and c) heartless enough to shoot you.  
  
And speak of the devil, Lindsey had just brought that lovely fact up. She could feel several pairs of eyes turn in her and her father's direction. She just kept her gaze focused on Lindsey where it should have been, despite the mental pity party she was having. She did not stand up and shout "Yes! I am Irina Derevko's daughter! Do you have a problem with that?" although she considered getting it tattooed across her forehead. Or possibly on her hand just to be Rambaldi-like.  
  
"Agent Bristow was the last person to see her before she escaped, again. Agent Bristow?"  
  
Well, that was a way to get her attention. She saw the attention in the conference room focused on her and answered in what she hoped would remain a blank, unirritated tone. "I chased her down the stairs and out to the parking garage. She got away in a Silver Ford SUV. The license plate was obscured."  
  
Lindsey acknowledged her statement with a nod of his head and started talking again, this time with relevant information. "We received a transmission through Echelon that Derevko or one of her personnel was going to be in Cairo tomorrow to exchange the codes with another terrorist organization, the IRF. We want to intercept the booklet and Derevko. Alive, preferably."  
  
"What do we know about the IRF?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"Nothing, only that that is the name we picked up on the Echelon transmission." Wow, a straight answer from Lindsey, that was impressive. "Any more questions? Good. Agent Weiss will lead the tactical team. You leave in three hours." 


	4. Operational Confusion

Part 4: Operational Confusion  
  
When the plane touched down in Cairo it was arid and hot. Most people complain about the humidity, but this dry wave of sand was suffocating in itself. Plus, the all black tactical clothing and bulletproof vest didn't help matters much.  
  
They got off the plane in their gear and took off in their van. Weiss was at the wheel and, frankly, he was looking rather more tense than usual. They all were.  
  
"Syd, are you all right?" Vaughn asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she gave a small smile. "It's just this heat."  
  
"Yeah," he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Maybe we should take a swim in the Nile to cool off."  
  
She almost laughed. "The CIA would appreciate that so much."  
  
He shook his head and went back to his own thoughts while she returned to hers. At least he was laughing, even if it was over such silly things as a river in Egypt. It was good to see that.  
  
"Hey, people, we're here," Weiss called from the driver's seat. "We park the van here and we'll walk in closer." Sydney and Vaughn nodded, grabbed their weapons, and opened the door. The sunlight that hit their faces was almost blinding as they stepped out into the air.  
  
***  
  
"Base camp, we have visual confirmation on the target," Weiss peered through his binoculars at the dirt road.  
  
"And Sark's here too," Sydney whispered into her comm. Sydney, Vaughn, and Weiss were all crouched behind a particularly large bush, staring off into the shifting sands.  
  
"Shouldn't the representative from the IRF be here already?" Vaughn asked impatiently. Sydney just shook her head, temporarily able to forgive him for his obvious agitation.  
  
A cloud of dust billowed up from behind a small hill down the dirt road. A white SUV drove down to stop about twenty feet away from Irina and Sark. Two figures immerged from the vehicle.  
  
"Umm, Syd?" Weiss began, "I know these are supposed to be key players from the IRF, but those are agents we have positively identified as K- Directorate."  
  
Sydney's face betrayed her confusion as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.  
  
The men from K-Directorate spoke first. "I trust you have the codes." The parabolic microphone that Vaughn was holding picked up every word. Sydney could even hear the distinct Russian accent from the man's voice.  
  
Irina smiled secretively. "I trust you have the manuscript."  
  
"Codes first."  
  
"Very well," Irina motioned to Sark who brought up the briefcase and began to unlock it.  
  
"Base camp, we can see the booklet. Are we clear to proceed?" Sydney asked through her comm.  
  
"Go ahead," Lindsay said cautiously. "Remember, I want Derevko alive." Sydney bit back the sarcastic response that came to mind. Getting mad at Lindsay now would serve absolutely no purpose. It could actually dig her in a deeper hole than she already was in. And that certainly wasn't good.  
  
The three agents crept closer to Irina, Sark, and the K-Directorate representatives. When Weiss judged they were close enough, he signaled to the team. "Alpha team, you are go for action."  
  
Agents from behind ran over the desert and Sydney, Weiss, and Vaughn sprung up from their positions. "Freeze!" they shouted, pointing their guns at the terrorists.  
  
Almost immediately, someone returned fire. Irina grabbed the booklet out of Sark's briefcase and ran down the road. A black, windowless van screeched to a halt in front of her. The door flew open, and with the help of a young, female agent, she climbed in the car. Sark flew behind her, recovering not only himself, but also the manuscript that Irina had spoken of earlier.  
  
Sydney sprinted down the road towards the van, but it was too late. The door slammed shut and the car was pulled into screeching motion again as the driver flew away down the road, kicking up dust as she went.  
  
"Damn it, Mom," Sydney whispered to herself. "Not again." 


End file.
